Bangladesh: All about Israel-Hating

Everyone shook hands and greeted each other courteously, but Aslam Chowdhury came under fire in Bangladesh after the photographs of the two men together were published on Safadi's Facebook page, and then picked up by Bangladeshi media. On May 15, police detectives arrested Chowdhury for alleged "involvement in a plot to oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence Mossad."

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist, was sentenced in 2014 to seven years in prison, allegedly for trying to travel to Israel, to speak on the rise of Islamic militancy in his country, and how madrassahs (Islamic religious schools) are being used to spawn militants.

Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a country where Jews and Israeli people are being cursed in every Friday sermon, from more than 250,000 mosques.

Israel, the Mossad and Jews, seen as one, are now a political issue in Bangladesh politics. Accusations and denials about "Israel and Mossad connections" are going on among the rival political parties and leaders. Both the government and largest opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have been trying to cash in on the existing antagonistic sentiment against Israel among the country's 90%-Muslim population.

Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a country where Jews and Israeli people are being cursed in every Friday sermon, from more than 250,000 mosques. Imams across the country shout before the Friday prayer's sermon audience that Jewish people are infidels.

The latest dirty game of Israel-hating began in early May. A Bangladeshi politician, Aslam Chowdhury, who is a Joint General Secretary of the BNP, visited the Indian capital of Delhi and the historic city of Agra, where he met Mendi N. Safadi, reportedly a member of Israel's Likud party.[1] Everyone shook hands and greeted each other courteously, but Aslam Chowdhury came under fire in Bangladesh after the photographs of the two men together were published on Safadi's Facebook page, and then picked up by Bangladeshi media.

On May 15, police detectives arrested Chowdhury for alleged "involvement in a plot to oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence Mossad." Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikha Hasina, accused two political parties, BNP and Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh of being "so desperate that they are now conspiring with Israel to oust me... They have joined hands with those who are frequently killing children and women in Palestine."

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party heavily depends on religious Muslim supporters, and Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh is an Islamist political party that believes in Islamic revolution.

This photo of Bangladeshi politician Aslam Chowdhury (center) with Israeli Mendi Safadi (left) led to Chowdhury's arrest for alleged "involvement in a plot to oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence Mossad." (Image source: Mendi N. Safadi)

Chowdhury's party, the BNP, expressed embarrassment. One of the party's standing committee members said,

"This is a very serious issue that a BNP leader has held a meeting with an Israeli leader. It goes against our national values as well as our party policy, as Bangladesh does not have any relation with Israel. This type of meeting will send a wrong signal to our friendly Muslim countries and it may also damage BNP's image at home and abroad."

Chowdhury did not deny his meeting with Safadi, but claimed that the meeting was accidental. On May 26, nine days after his arrest, police filed charges of sedition against Aslam Chowdhury. The Inspector General of Bangladesh Police said, "Initial investigations found evidence of conspiracy with the leaders of Israel's Likud party to destabilize the country in an effort to damage the government's image."

Safadi, for his part, said in an interview with BBC Bangla, "It is illogical that some people who hatch a conspiracy against a government at a public program then post their photographs on Facebook."

The Bangladeshi media labelled Safadi a "Mossad agent," and a senior Israeli official. But he is neither. He is a former aide to Ayoub Kara, a Druze MP from the Likud party who serves as a deputy cabinet minister.

Aslam Chowdhury is not the first victim of Israel-hating in Bangladesh, a Sunni Muslim-dominated country. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist, was sentenced in 2014 to seven years in prison, allegedly for trying to travel to Israel, to speak on the rise of Islamic militancy in his country, and how madrassahs (Islamic religious schools) are being used to spawn militants.

Sebastian Bustle is based in Southeast Asia.

[1] Chowdhury was invited by the Bharatia (Indian) Citizens Security Councils, a platform run by the youth wing of India's ruling Bharatia Janata Party (BJP), as was Mendi N. Safadi, the head of Safadi Center of International Diplomacy and Public Relations.

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8 Reader Comments

Sabab Tahsin • Jun 17, 2017 at 14:53

Sir, we also need strong relationship with Israel just like India. We are Muslim that does not mean we hate the Jews. We are really helpless in here.

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Arnab Goswami • Apr 29, 2017 at 18:31

It is such a shame that Bangladesh can proudly establish diplomatic relationship with Pakistan (who killed 3 million Bangladeshdeshi civilians during the liberation war) but denied the friendship of Israel. Being a Bangladeshi, I know the sole reason behind this is the anti-semitic attitude of the majority Muslims.

The arrest of Shoeb Chowdhuri and this incident shows how hateful can some people get without any provocation.

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Avi Simon • Jun 2, 2016 at 02:00

Dear Bangla Deshi leaders... .

The Mossad, and Israel in general, don't pay any attention to Bangla Desh. They don't talk about Bangla Desh. They don't spend time thinking about Bangla Desh. Israelis would be happy to be your friends, but nobody in Israel is going to waste time, effort and money being your enemies. Why? Because they are neither stupid nor insane.

The fact that you insist upon pursuing these paranoid delusions about a country whose people wish you well does not say anything about your political enemies, and it does not say anything about Israel; but it says an enormous amount about YOU, and what it says is not good at all. It says that you are hypocrites and haters, bigots and bullies, liars without shame and demagogues without conscience, and in many cases credulous, ignorant idiots. It says that you would rather destroy than build, that you would rather hate than befriend, that you would rather join psychopaths, terrorists, dictators and thugs in attacking the only truly democratic state in the middle east. It says that you would rather squander the resources of your country on this absolute screaming nonsense than use them to make life better for your own people.

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carl • Jun 1, 2016 at 10:56

Some of us older folks may remember how we backed Bangladesh in their quest for independence from India and the Ravi Shankir concerts and fund raisers. Had we not stuck our noses in where they did not belong, then India would have the Muslims under control much as they do in India. We don't ever learn. Right now we are backing Sunni against Shia. Neither one is a bargain and they both hate us.

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Mickey Oberman • Jun 1, 2016 at 09:04

If anyone, Jew, Christian, or any other religion including Muslim, expects to see any justice in Bangladesh they are self deceptive fools.

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Jeff Page • Jun 1, 2016 at 08:26

Unfortunately, we have a large Bangladeshi community in Britain, who have brought their Muslim 'values' with them into this country. In fact there used to be a Muslim Mayor of the borough of Tower Hamlets who is Muslim who was thrown out because of his devious and unlawful channelling of funds whilst in office. Obviously we can expect more corruption in the future from the newly crowned Mayor of London who will no doubt try to do the same thing with funds. In his case though, I think the establishment will be keeping an eye on what he does, and so it won't be as easy. I hope that the Jewish communities all across Britain realise that there are a great many who will side with them should they be the target for Muslim and left wing hate campaigns.

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Mickey Oberman Jeff Page • Jun 1, 2016 at 18:02

Jeff Page,

"I hope that the Jewish communities all across Britain realise that there are a great many who will side with them should they be the target for Muslim and left wing hate campaigns."

Why are they so silent?

Mickey Oberman

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Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks • Jun 1, 2016 at 01:19

Choudhury is in jail now for defrauding people and in two words he is a con-artist one that is finally where he belongs, in jail!

Read this article and learn who the REAL Choudhury is! I am one of his victims! Look at his photo in the enclosed article. Have you ever seen anyone smiling which being arrested? I haven't unless of course, it was part of a bigger plan.

Robert Levinson, 67, an American citizen, is a retired DEA and FBI agent. In 2007, while researching a cigarette smuggling case as a private investigator, he was abducted in Iran and has since been held hostage.

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